MISCELLANIES, 



639 



of an octavo (17| carats), much 

 ceremony takes place ; lie is crown- 

 ed with a wreath of flowers, and 

 carried in procession to the admi- 

 nistrator, who gives him his free- 

 dom, by paying his owner for it. 

 He also receives a present of new 

 clothes, and is permitted to work 

 on his own account. When a stone 

 of ei>;ht or ten carats is found, the 

 negro receives two new shirts, a 

 complete new suit, with a hat and 

 a handsome knife. For smaller 

 stones of trivial amount propor- 

 tionate premiujnsaie given. Dur- 

 ing my stay at Tejuco a stone of 

 1G|^ carats was i'ound : it was 

 pleasing to see the anxious desire 

 manifested by the officers that it 

 might prove heavy enough to en- 

 title the poor negro to his freedom, 

 and when on being delivered and 

 weighed, it proved only a carat 

 short of the requisite weight, all 

 seemed to sympathize in his disap- 

 pointment. 



Many precautions are taken to 

 prevent the negroes from embez- 

 zling diamonds. Although they 

 work in a bent position, and con- 

 sequently never know whether the 

 overseers are watching them or 

 not, yet it is easy for them to omit 

 gathering any which they see, and 

 to place them in a corner of the 

 trough for the purpose of secreting 

 them at lei^ure hours, to prevent 

 which they are frequently changed 

 while the operation is going on. 

 A word of command being given 

 by the overseers, they instantly 

 move into each other's troughs, so 

 that no opportunity of collusion 

 can take place. If a negro be sus- 

 pected ofhavmg swallowed a dia- 

 mond, he is confined in a strong 

 room until the lact can be ascer- 

 tained. Formerly the punishment 



inflicted on a negro for smuggling 

 diamonds was confiscation of his 

 person to the state : but it being 

 thought too hard for the owner to 

 suffer for the offence of his servant, 

 the penalty has been commuted for 

 personal imprisonment and chas- 

 tisement. This is a much lighter 

 punishment than that which their 

 owners or any white man would 

 suffer for a similar offence. 



There is no particular regulation 

 respecting the dress of the negroes : 

 they work in the clothes most suit- 

 able to the nature of their employ- 

 ment, generally in a waistcoat and 

 a pair of drawers, and not naked, 

 as some travellers have stated. 

 Their hours of labour are from a 

 little before sun-rise until sun-set, 

 half an hour being allowed for 

 breakfast, and two hours at noon. 

 While washing they change their 

 posture as often as they please, 

 which is very necessary, as the 

 work requires them to place their 

 feet on the edges of the trough, 

 and to stoop considerably. This 

 posture is particularly prejudicial 

 to young growing negroes, as it 

 renders them in-lcneed. Four or 

 five times during the day they all 

 rest, when snuff, of which they are 

 very fond, is given to them. 



The negroes are formed into 

 working parties, called troops, con- 

 taining two hundred each, under 

 the direction of an administrator 

 and inferior officers. Each troop 

 has a clergyman and a surgeon to 

 attend it. With respect to the sub- 

 sistence of the negroes, although 

 the present governor has in some 

 deyree improved it by allowing a 

 daily portion of fresh beef, which 

 was not allowed by his predeces- 

 sors, yet I am sorry to observe that 

 it is still poor and scanty ; and in 



other 



